Such a device is known, for example, from patent document DE 42 11 465 C2, and is used in assemblies for painting workpieces, in particular for spray-painting vehicle bodies, in which an air flow is generated through an application region of the assembly that discharges excess wet paint out of the application region.
In this case, the separation device can comprise in particular a regenerable surface filter, i.e. a filter that has a filter surface, on which the wet paint overspray entrained by the exhaust air flow is deposited, and which can be cleaned to remove the paint overspray deposited thereon, preferably during routine operation of the device.
To facilitate the cleaning of the regenerable surface filter, the regenerable surface filter can have a barrier layer comprising a precoat material that prevents the filter surface from becoming clogged. This barrier layer is renewed by a precoating operation after the surface filter has been cleaned and can be reinforced by intermediate precoating operations between the cleaning operations.